Spanish international, Costa, hit the ground running when the Blues signed him from Atletico Madrid in the summer and is one of the key reasons Mourinho’s men have been atop the Premier League since the first weekend of the season.

However, despite Giroud spending just under three months on the sidelines with a broken foot and scoring five times less than Costa’s 19 goal haul, Nicolas says he’d rather the Frenchman was leading his front line than the Chelsea striker.

“Up front, on his own, I’d have Olivier Giroud over Diego Costa,” he said according to Daily Star.

“Look at Giroud’s stats, he’s been sensational when he’s been fit this season.

“He’s turning into the perfect Premier League striker with his power, touch, heading ability and confidence – he’s really moved up a level this year.”

But with six goals in his last six games it’s easy to see why Nicholas is such a fan with his style of play a key reason behind Arsenal’s mid-season resurgence and ‘almost’ title-challenge.